Our daily reflections follow the M'Cheyne Bible reading plan, designed for those who want to read the whole Bible in one year. Each reflection focuses on one of the chapters from that day's readings. Darllenwch rhain yn Gymraeg.
Lord, open my ears to hear what you have to say to me; open my heart to love your word, and open my mind to understand your truth.
It's probably true to say that most of us assume we are good people. We are unlikely, if we're part of a Christian community, to be habitually adulterous or drunk or prone to stealing or violence. In Paul's day these things needed to be said more clearly, because there was no necessary connection between a new religious revelation and a high standard of moral living. For Christians, though, it's different. God has 'revealed his grace for the salvation of all mankind', he says (verse 11); and this grace has consequences for how we live. It 'instructs us to give up ungodly living and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this world ...' (verse 12).
So God's grace to us means that we're not just to aim for a sort of passive goodness, focused on avoiding gross sin. It is much more intentional than that. If our definition of goodness is something like 'niceness', we are probably not really appreciating the implications of grace. Goodness is not bland or inoffensive. It can be prickly and annoying – it can certainly be demanding and sometimes heroic. The list of commands in Titus 2 challenges many of our natural inclinations to selfishness, domination and pride. If we don't happen to feel these things strongly, perhaps we're fortunate – we might win people's approval for being naturally 'nice'. But God's grace requires active goodness, which often runs against the grain of human nature.
God, help me to understand what your grace means for my life. Show me what's in my heart, and help me to be intentionally graceful to others.
This reflection was written by Mark Woods, Bible Society's Editor
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